bigvig

Sooo, long time no posting. I work on my Jeep in the nicer months only since I work on it outside in the driveway, and if I dont have to do anything during the winter, I DONT! So, I havent been on the site since last fall. Anyway......

My '99 needs a drag link TRE off the pitman arm. Where is the best/cheapest place to get it? I see ALL KINDS of different ones all over the place and I cant decipher the "code" on what mine needs. Left hand threads, right hand threads, etc? Do I just get the one that says "drag link pitman arm"? If so, my local NAPA has it for $45 bucks. Quadratec has it for $17. Granted Ill pay shipping and the time for it to get here, so I might suck up the $28 dollar difference and get it local. BUT.....

Quadratec has the entire drag link assembly for $99 bucks. Am I better off buying the whole shebang and replacing it all? Its never been done so Im guessing the other end must be pretty worn too.

As always, thanks in advance!

bigvig

Wow, nobody changes their TRE's?

So anyway, I went with the Quadratec TRE for now, figuring I can upgrade this summer when Im not as strapped. For $20 its not breaking the bank.

Now Im wondering, anyone done this in their driveway before? Quadratec website says 3-4 HOURS!?!?!?!?!? I cant IMAGINE it would take that long. Isnt it as simple as taking off the TRE nut, loosening the drag link sleeve and turning the TRE out, then putting the new one in? Is this REALLY a 3-4 hour job!?

Mattnkc74

I changed all mine but that one just flat couldnt get it off. Couldnt get it to seperate. Pickle fork and impact still wouldnt come off. Few broken craftsman tool later just left it. Hated replacing everything else and leaving that one. Shop wouldnt install my part. Got em at quadratrac as well. shop wanted 170 just to replace that end and the part. Im sure snapon makes a better set to remove that but thats all I had.

Mattnkc74

Sorry got em from 4wd hardware I think crown made em. Like 25 bucs they have a pretty good catalog hard to get the wrong thing.Good luck with it also broke a pitman arm puller trying to remove that.

LongArmXJ

If you go to any parts store with a computer system and a human to talk to..... tell them what you are working on and what you need ....chances are that they will figure it out. Its off the pitman arm... that will be noted in the computer system as to what part you will need. . .

ZINGGG

I was able to get mine to separate from the pitman arm no problem. But I live in southern California and we don't see too much rust. Anyway, no it's not a 3-4 hour job. the hardest part will be to get it to separate. I'd say it's a 30 minute to hour job if you really take your time.

bigvig

Thats what I was thinking. I mean, I keep it greased, etc., and even though Im in Maine its not rusty so I shouldnt have trouble with that. Just by looking at it, it REALLY doesnt look like much of a job. Unfortunately I dont have a TRE separator or pickle fork so Im thinking about going to the local CarQuest and seeing how much one is (will a TRE fit up on the pitman arm?). But really, once its separated its just a matter of unscrewing the TRE and screwing in the new one, then torquing the nut. How do they figure 3-4 hours? My local garages say 30-45 minutes and want $40 bucks.

Mattnkc74

Im in kc we salt the roads before it snows they're freakin goofy here. All the rest came apart pretty easy. the shops I went to were tire shops ntb tires plus. Thought about going to a smaller garage to have them do it.
It wasn't that sloppy on that end just wanted to change all of it while under there. Ntb said they could put my part on but would charge more. That made no sense to me. I dont expect them to warranty the part.

ZINGGG

The time estimates on Quadratec are ridiculous. We'll just put it at that. It says that an Optima battery is a level 2/4 level of difficulty... yeah I don't think so. So for future reference, ignore the estimates on their website. They're probably set for the extremely inexperienced mechanic.

Anyways, You should be able to rent a tie rod separator from your local parts store for a few bucks. You don't necessarily need to buy one unless you plan on messing with the tie rods again sometime soon.